Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-06-11
JESS.
ByH.RIDER l1AceARD.
aat6'rsi.nqs SelewoesugessTf
tcoNTINUED.)
CHAPTER XIV.

A ROUGH JOURNEY.
The four grays were fresh horses, in good
condition and with light load behind them,
so, notwithstanding the bad condition OF the
tracks which they call roads in South Africa,
John made good progress.
By IL O'Clock that day he had reached
Standerton, a little town upon the Vaal, not
far from which he was destined, had he but
known it, to meet with sufficiently striking
experience Here he obtained confirmation
of the Bronker's Spruit disaster, and listened
with set face and blazing eyes to the tale of
treachery and wholesale massacre which was,
as he said, without parallel in the annals of
civilized war
At Standerton John was again warned
that it would be impossible for him to make
his way through the Beers at Heidelberg. a
town about sixty miles from Pretoria, where
the Triumvirate, Kruger, Pretorius and
Joubert, had proclaimed the republic. But
he answered as before, that he must go on
till he was stopped, and, inspanning bis
horses, set forward again, a little comforted
by the news that the bishop of Pretoria, who
was hurrying up to rejoin his family, had
passed through few hours before, also IN
tent upon running the blockade, and that if
he drove fast be might oveftake him.
On he went. hour after hour, over the great
deserted plain, but be did not succeed in
catching up to the bishop. About forty miles
from Standerton he saw II wagon standing
by tue roadside, and halted to see if he could
get any Information from its driver, But on
investigation it became clear that the wagon
had been looted of the provisions and goods
with which it was luaied and the oxen driven
oil Nor WAS this the only evidence of VIC
hence. Across the tiisselboom of the wagon,
the hands still clas.,ing q long bamboo whip,
Us though he hal been trying TO defend him
self with it, lay the dead body of the native
driver Ills face, Jolm.noticed, was so com
posed and peaceful that, had it not been for
The attitude and Il neat little blue hole i'll the
forehead, YOU might have thought he was
asleep and not dead.
At sunset John outspanned his now flag
Cing horses by the roadside, and gave them
each couple of bundles of forage from the
store that he had brought With him. While
they were eating it, leaving 3louti to keep
an eve to them, be went some way off and
sat down on ii big ant heap to think. 1t was
q wild and melancholy scene that stretched
away before and behind him. Miles upon
miles of plain, rolling east and west and north
and south, like the pillows of frozen sea,
only broken, far along the Heidelberg road,
by some hills, known as Roof koppies.
Nor was this all. Overhead was blazing
and burning one of those remarkable
sunsets which one sometimes sees in
| summer in Africa The sky was full of lower
ing clouds, and the sullen orb of the setting
sun had stained them perfectly blood red.
Blood red they fioated through the ominous
sky, and blood red their shadows lay upon the
grass. Even the air seemed red It looked
| as though earth and heaven had been STEPPED
III blood: and fresh as John was from the
| sight of the dead driver, his ears yet tingling
with the tale of Bronzer's Spruit, it is not to
be wondered at that the suggestive sight OPP
pressed him seated i'll that lonely waste, with
no company except that melancholy "kakara-
kakaraH of an old black koran hidden away
| somewhere in the grass, He was not much
| given to that sort of thing, but he did begin
! to wonder whether this was the last journey
of all the many he had made during the past
| twenty years, and if Boer bullet was about
to solve the mystery of life and death for
| him
| By the time that the horses had done their
| forage and Mouti had forced the bits into
! their reluctant mouths, the angry splendcr OF
| the sunset had faded, and the quiet night was
| falling over the glowing veldt like pail on
one scarce dead There was, fortunately for
| the travellers bright half moon, and by its
| light John managed to direct the cart over
many a weary mile On he went for hour
after hour, keeping his tired horses to the col
| lar as best he could, till at last, about II
| O'Clock, he saw tho lights of Heidelberg be
| fore him, and knew that the question of
whether or not his journey was at an end
would speedily he decided for him. However,
there was nothing for it but to go on and take
his chance of slipping through. Presently he
crossed little stream, and made out the
shape of a cart just ahead, around which men
and couple of lanterns were moving. No
doubt, he thought to himself, it was the
bishop, who had been stopped by the Beers.
! He was quite close to the cart when it moved
on, and in another second he was greeted by
the rough challenge of a sentry, and caught
sight of the cold CLEAN of rife barrel
| "Wie da2" Who's thcre0
"Friendi" he answered, cheerfuliy, though
| feeling far from cheerful.
| There was pause during which the sentry
| called TO another man, who came up yawn-
ing, and saying something in Dutch. Strain
| ing his ears he caught the words, Bishops
man." and this gave him an idea
| who are You, Englishman" asked the
second man, g1uliiy, holding up lantern to
look at John, and speaking in English.
| Il am the bishops chaplain, SIR" he an
4 ct.rara1 mildly Iasrsnrntalp tn look
like an unoffending clergyman, land want
| to get on to Pretoria with him"
The man with the lantern inspected him
| closely Fortunately he had on a dark coat
and a clerical looking black felt hat; the same
that Frank Muller had put bullet through
ale is preacher fast enough" said the ont
man to the other 'Look, he is dressed like
an old crow What did ON Kruger's pas
say, JAM Was it two carts or one that we
were to let through. l think that it wa:
| one"
| The other man scratched his head
| II think it was two he said. He did moi
like to confess to his comrade that he coule
| not read No, / am sure that it was two
| @Perhaps We had better send up to On
Kruger and ask" suggested the first man.
@Om Kruger will be in bed, and he puts W
| his quilts like porcupine if one wakes him,
| was the answer.
"Then let us keep the id preaching Eng
| lishman till Tomorrow
| pray let me go on, gentlemen" said John
till in his mildest voice a am wanted t.
preach the word at Pretoria, and to watcl
| by the wounded and dying"
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